Step bearing for watch movements



March 0, 1931- H. COLOMB STEP BEARING FOR WATER MOVEMENTS Filed Dec. 23, 192 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 10, 1931. COLQMB 1,795,362

STEP BEARING FOR WATCH MOVEMENTS Filed Dec. 23, 192' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a 4 ?v g fo/om 6 a Patented Mar. 10, 1931 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HENRI COLOMB, F TAVANNES, SWITZERLAND STEP BEARING FOR WATCH MOVEMENTS Application filed December 23, 1927, Serial No. 242,240, and in Switzerland January 19, 1927.

Heretofore two kinds of step bearings order to let the screw heads bear on said bush have been known in watch movements. is also complicated and expensive.

In the earlier kind of bearings generally It is the object of the present invention to used by Swiss manufactures, the metal of the propose a form of bearings having two movement plate and of the bridges constibushes one for the cap-stone and the other 55 tuted the setting of the hole stone while the for the hole-stone, both fitted into the same cap-stone was held in a special cap-stonecylindrical hole and preferably rectified with plate. An exception made only the index a punch. The bush of the cap-stone is forced disk which itself formed a kind of cap-plate into its lodging while the other bush fitted and generally was fixed to the balance cock. into the same hole without any lateral play 60 These plates were sunk within the plate or is held down on the first by suitable means. the bridge and fixed by means of one or two Five working examples of the object of the screws. invention are represented in the hereto an- The second kind of bearings, called the neXed drawings in Figures 1 to 8.

American, i t-1 d in th U it d Figures 1, 3, 5 and 7 are axial sections of 65 States and comprises abush with a hole-stone he two axle bearings in plates and bridges sunk without play into a shouldered hole, of of four working forms and Figures 2. 4. 6 and the plate and bush with a cap-stone held fast 8 are Corresponding partial plan views. while upon the same by means of two screws. Figure 6a is a plan view of a fifth working Both of these hearings show the defect that form. Like numerals of reference in the dif- 70 a changing of the height of a wheel is only ferent figures indicate like parts. The plates {)OSSlblG by shortening one 31- both axle pins are marked With 1 and the bridges With 2. or by reducing the thickness of the feet of the 11 the first working form according to bridges unless means are employed which a fl 1 and 2 each bowing Comprised hi gh-princi pled watch-maker would retuse. 3 with {L apo 4 against which is bearing 75 Besides this by employing such cap-stoncthe p of Wheel This bush is l t th bt i i f a l i d i i forced into the cylindrical hole provided for the arrangement of the work is rendered dif 1t and @XactlY at the helght depending on ficult. the wheel. This height as is known varies F -th Owing t th n thi k according to the allowances of watch makers, 0

of metal left in the plate the necessity arises l bush can be P? at y desirable ery ften to e nploy only ery thin SCI-(VS height Into the plate and llltO the bridge.

for fastening the cap plate the thread of The bush 5 of hole'stonefi p 011 which screws i easily Spoiled. the firstbush 3 and is lodged without lateral In the kind of bearings with Cap St0ne play within the cylindrical hole already plate the plate fixed to the bridge and genpartly Occupled by Stud first bush orally made of steel assumes the shape of the ilheycontactsbetweigl} h two bushes i bridge and must also possess the same angle. s y P (Ri i i g lvhls This angle after being hardened has to be Spung 5 i Sepame y m 7. two

. y I pron s bearing on the bush For this reason 90 polished and the setting of the stone in steel, the i t 7 H th t the hardenin the colorin the polishin of i Prolec S 'i Sm 0 PA 6 H161 doing the st ne 5; (r 5 or the bridge. Qwing to the shape given to O v r me m 0 f e the prongs of spr1ng7 as shown. in Fig. Qthese Plate and the pollshlllg of lts angle and lts prongs apply closely to the bush 5. Cut-outs surface render this kind of bearings rather 9 are made in plateand bridge for giving the 9 y- I possibility to grip the bushes with pincers in In the American klnd of bearing the s1nk- Order t remove th Same if d d ing of the screw heads partly into the plate In the working form according to F igs. 3 or bridge and partly into the bush of the capand 4 there are turned sinkings 9 instead of plate and at very little different depths in cut-outs. The prongs 10 of the springs 7 are Cir The Fig. 6a represents another form havin recessed parallel cut-outs.

in the working form of Flgs. 7 and 8, the screw heads 8 are the means for fixing the i bushes of the hole-stones on the bushes of the cap-stone.

In all these working forms the bush of the cap-stone is forced into the cylindrical lodging of the plate and the bridge while the bush of the hole-stone is placed without lateral play thereupon so that it can be easily removed, if required. But the inverse could also be to wit that the bush of the hole-stone be forced into the hole and that the bush of the cap-stone be held fast thereon by suitable means.

It must also be noted that in the one case as in the other a drilled bush or a cap-bush could replace the hole stone-bush or the cap-stonebush and such bearings could also be made in one piece for instance of hardened steel.

The described step-bearings show the following advantages: 7 1. A simplified manufacturing process even in the case where the number of parts should become reater than in the forms heretofore referred to.

2. The possibility of an exact centering of the two bushes by rectifying their outer surfaces according to the holes and by fitting the two bushes into the same cylindrical hole.

3. The facility to adjust according to need the height of the wheels to wit to adjust this height exactly after that of the cooperating wheel.

4. The possibility of determining easily and exactly the reciprocal distance of the two ap bushes and to put in the wheels in series that is to choose the suitable ones so that their height is at once the correct one without additional Work.

5. The possibility of employing longer and stronger screws because here the whole thickness of the plate or bridge is left. This not the case with the old form of bearings.

G. The facility of taking all. easily apart owing to the flat clamping springs it being not necessary to unscrew the screws completely.

What I claim as new is:

1. In a step bearing for watch movements and in combination, a movement plate having a plain cylindrical perforation, a cap bush fitted tight but adjustably in an axial sense into the perforation, a drilled axle-pin bush fitted slidably into the same perforation and a forked fiat spring fixed to the plate and bearing on the second bush so as to keep it in place.

2. In a step bearing for watch movements and in combination, a movement plate having a plain cylindrical perforation, a cap stone bush'fitted tigh but adjustably in an axial sense into the perforation, a hole stone bush fitted slidably into the same perforation and a forked flat spring fixed to the plate and bearing on the second bush so as to keep in place.

3. In a step bearing for watch movements and in combination, a movement plate and a bridge, both having plain cylindrical perforations coaxial to each other, cap stone bushes fitted tight but adjnstably in an axial sense into both of said perforations, hole stone bushes fitted sli-dably into both perforations and forked springs fixed one to the plate and the other to the bridge and bearing on said hole stone bushes so as to keep the same in place. I

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

HENRI o'oLoMB. 

